38 / Sport and Trail Magazine
So, how might this “Nobody Said” concept of
mine apply to your mounted archery, you
ask?
When you’re at a competition, generally you get three passes or runs, on each category you’ve entered to score. Many people enter several or all of the categories. Additionally, if you’ve traveled to the event across the states or internationally, either you will be using one of the local horses or you might let someone use yours for these runs as logistics don’t allow for competitors to take their horse everywhere.
Watching the competition you may notice many of the horses getting faster and faster with each pass, both with their owner/rider and the out-of-state/country rider. Eventually, the riders can’t even get their arrow out and knocked before the horse is blowing past the finish line let alone hit the targets. So, what’s a rider to do?
Think differently.
If the riders just keep thinking they can ‘git ‘er done,’ maybe they will, but more than likely they won’t. It will get worse and they’ll not be scoring any target points. And if the riders are focused on hitting the target and because they don’t have the reins in their hands the horse just runs because… NOBODY SAID “Hey, how about you slow down?”
Do you think that the horse is going to be loafin’ about at the hitching rail with his hoof next to his mouth, head tilted, his eyes looking off to the upper left while he ponders: “I wonder if my person would appreciate it if I went slower?” (insert photo) NOT!
Now a lot of riders do practice slowing their horses down in training, but if you never ask the horse to do it HERE, RIGHT HERE ON THIS COURSE RUN and the horse is used to tearing off at a gallop, why would the question come up in the horse’s mind? It doesn’t.
Some of the riders are afraid of losing the scorability of the run if they devote it to changing the horse’s mind instead of trying to score target hits. But, really, does it make sense to just keep bolting down the track unable to hit a target from that type of run and calling it good? That’s 3 zeros with no chance of target points. You’re not scoring so there is no scorability. Zero!
What would make the horse think about it differently if NOBODY SAID?
If the horse is getting faster each time, you don’t have a chance to score. So, maybe you could strategize differently and use the first run to
Nobody said WHAT? Right! Huh! What is Lauren talking about? Exactly! Sounds a bit like ‘Who’s on First?’
So, I’ll elaborate, as this is one of my favorite teaching modules. We’ll start with a true story from a retreat I was teaching. The woman told me it hurt to do something I had asked for because her feet were all bruised black, blue and red.
“Why?” says I.
“My horse steps on my feet.” She replied.
“When?” I say.
“Well, yesterday, but it happens at least once a week.” She said.
Please know that while it was almost impossible, I did manage to keep my reaction somewhat restrained.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Since I got him. About 2 ½ years. But, it’s an accident. He’s just not good with his feet.”
“Really.” I couldn’t continue this charade. “I’d say he’s exceptional with his feet. That isn’t an accident. Why don’t you ask him not to?”
She even took off her riding boots and showed me BOTH bruised and bloodied feet. Her belief that it was an accident and somehow there was nothing she could do had completely hogtied her mind. And yet she was completely wrong. It never occurred to her to ask her horse NOT to do that. And as you can imagine, that wasn’t her only issue because her mindset was seriously wack! She didn’t think. She did what her trainers told her and never questioned what she was doing even with the horse telling her constantly what her real result was. She also thought that she was really safety conscious. How can that be when your feet are bruised and bloody? She needed some serious mind change.
So, how might this “Nobody Said” concept of mine apply to your mounted archery, you ask?
When you’re at a competition, generally you get three passes or runs, on each category you’ve entered to score. Many people enter several or all of the categories. Additionally, if you’ve traveled to the event across the states or internationally, either you will be using one of the local horses or you might let someone use yours for these runs as logistics don’t allow for competitors to take their horse everywhere.
NOBODY SAID
By Lauren Woodard